Activities in natural environments as remedy to loneliness: The role of connectedness to nature and place attachment

Loneliness constitutes an increasing social and public health concern, making it important to find effective strategies for prevention and alleviation. Activities in natural environments have been found to buffer against loneliness. This is commonly explained by social interactions enabled by these activities. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that connectedness to nature and place attachment explain much of the effect of activities in natural environments on loneliness. To date, this has been left unexplored empirically. Based on tailored survey data (N = 2544) from the region surrounding Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake, the present study addresses this gap. Using structural equation modeling, it was found that activities on or along Mjøsa were associated with reduced loneliness when mediated by connectedness to nature and place attachment to Mjøsa, with the strongest association observed when mediated by connectedness to nature. The indirect association of activities via connectedness to nature and place attachment to Mjøsa was strengthened if activities were done alone. Closer examination of the activities on or along Mjøsa revealed variations in how they related to connectedness to nature and place attachment, pointing to the centrality of ways of attending to the environment. The study discusses the value of enabling people to develop connectedness to nature and place attachment for prevention and alleviation of loneliness. Followingly, the importance of educating people in ways of attending to the environment during activities is emphasized, along with the need to maintain and develop the built environment in manners favorable for activities that can increase people's connectedness to nature.